Middle East Kingdoms

Ancient Arabic States

Kedarites / Kedar (Qedarites / Cedarenes)

The Kedarites were another nomadic Arabic people, just like their cousins, the
Nabataeans. They occupied the
desert regions of eastern Syria
and present day Jordan,
on the edge of the Levant. Also like their cousins, the Kedarites claimed an
Israelite ancestor figure, this time being Kedar, second son of Ismael, who was
himself one of the sons of Abraham. The truth of the claim is debatable, of course,
as Abraham's sons are claimed as the founding fathers of many of the kingdoms
which existed on the borders of ancient
Israel.

The Kedarites emerged into the historical record first as enemies of the
Neo-Assyrian empire, to be defeated in battle, and then as vassals. From
then on they suffered fluctuating fortunes at the hands of successive
empires in the region. It is unclear whether they ever fully settled as a
city-dwelling people. More likely, they remained a semi-transient tribal
confederation to a large extent.

A Kedarite kingdom emerges on the eastern flank of the Levant, in eastern
Syria
and present day
Jordan. Many small states have arisen by this time during the period of
the
Assyrian decline, with the Kedarite state being perhaps one of the last
to emerge.

Adumattu, modern
Dumat al-Jandal, was the Kedarite capital, now in ruins

Kingdom of Kedar (Qedar / Qidri)c.870 - 610 BC

Subdued by the resurgent
Assyrian empire in the ninth century BC, The Kedarite kingdom survived
as a vassal state, occasionally rebellious, but mostly compliant. Its
capital was at Adumattu, the
Akkadian
name for the modern archaeological site of Dumat al-Jandal in north-western
Saudi
Arabia. It may well have been founded by the Kedarites, since the
earliest findings date to the tenth century BC, and for a time it was also
home to an important temple dedicated to Ishtar. The kingdom's female rulers have been referred to as 'queens of Aribi'.

Following the destruction of the
Neo-Assyrian empire in 612 BC, the Kedarites
enjoyed the resultant power vacuum in the sixth century BC, controlling a
large swathe of territory between the Sinai and the Persian Gulf. The
Kedarites are also mentioned in Aramaic and Old South Arabian inscriptions,
and it seems likely that they were subsumed within the
Roman-controlled Nabataean state by the second century AD.

c.870 - 850 BC

Gindibu

853 BC

Gindibu is the leader of the Arab forces in an alliance of states which also includes
Ammon,
Arvad,
Byblos,
Damascus,
Edom,
Egypt,
Hamath, and
Israel Together they fight Shalmaneser III of
Assyria
in a battle which consists of the largest known number of combatants to
date, and is the first historical mention of the Arabs from the southern
deserts. Despite claims to the contrary, the Assyrians are defeated, since
they do not press on to their nearest target, Hamath. Little else is known of
Gindibu or the Arabs of this period, but it is likely that
he is from the region of Kedar, and may be responsible for the creation of
the kingdom following his success in battle.

c.850 BC - ?

?

Name unknown.

?

Name unknown.

?

Name unknown.

?

Name unknown.

?

Name unknown.

? - c.750 BC

?

Sixth unknown ruler uncertain.

c.750 - 735 BC

Zabibe / Zabiba

Queen.

c.746 - 710 BC

Samsi / Samsil

Queen.

c.710 - 695 BC

Yatie / Iati'e

Queen.

c.690 - 678 BC

Te'elkhunu / Te'elhunu

Queen, and high priestess of Atarsamain.

690 - 676 BC

Hazael / Hazail

Co-ruler, and remained so for two years with Tabua.

c.678 - 675 BC

Tabua

Queen.

676 - 652 BC

Yauta ibn Hazail / 'Iauta / Uaite / Yawthi'i

Son of Hazail.

652 BC

Abyate ibn Teri challenges Yauta ibn Hazail for control of the kingdom, but
despite being successful, he never fully gains the support of his people.

652 - 644 BC

Abyate ibn Teri

c.652 BC

Ammuladi / Ammuladin

Opposed Abyate ibn Teri.

c.650 - 644 BC

Yaute / Uayte ben Birdadda

Opposed Abyate ibn Teri.

644 BC

Kedar is conquered by
Assyria,
possibly one of the empire's final acts of expansion.

With the fall of
Assyria,
the
Neo-Babylonian empire rises to fill the power vacuum, maintaining its
grip on Kedar. During the sixth century BC there appears to be a movement
towards Kedarite independence, with an apparently independent rule emerging
at Dedan, although little is known of it or its level of success in
remaining independent. Its disappearance in circa 550 BC suggests
that it fails.

c.580 - 565 BC

Mati-il

Ruled at Dedan.

c.565 - 550 BC

Kabaril ibn Mati-il

Ruled at Dedan.

552 - 539 BC

The
Babylonian king, Nabonidus,
moves his capital to Teima, deep in Kedarite territory. The Kedarites are a people
with whom he has good relations, and the place feels safer to him than
Babylon. His arrival is probably what causes the disappearance of the
Kedarite 'state' at Dedan.

539 BC

The
Persian
capture of
Babylonia witnesses the rise of a new empire in the region, although
Kedar remains a client state. Kedarites are employed as vassal rulers of
southern Jordan and the Negev Desert.

Kedarite Bedawi Kings of Southern Jordan & the Negev539 BC - AD 106?

The Bedawis were a Kidarite clan which rose to prominence under the control
of the
Persian
empire. Chosen to supply client kings to govern southern Jordan and the
Negev Desert.
During this period, Moab disappeared from the historical record,
the area being overrun by Arabs who included the Kedarites and the
Nabataeans.

Alexander the Great's
Greek
Empire rules the entire region until his death. Subsequently the empire
is divided during the Wars of the Diadochi. Between 323-305 BC the wars
see shifting fortunes and changes of ruler in the Levant, but the
Seleucids emerge
as the controlling power there. Little is known about the Kedarites, but it
is thought that they remain in place as local rulers, administering the same
territories as before. Unfortunately, none of their names have been preserved.

323 - c.250 BC

The Kedarites fall out of
Greek control, instead being dominated by the Lihyans.

c.250 BC

Lihyan control of the Kedarites is superseded by that of the
Nabataeans.

AD 106

Nabataea is conquered
by the
Roman
empire, becoming the capital of the province of Arabia Petraea. Dumat is
incorporated into the empire and the Kedarites lose their individual
identity.

269

Zenobia, queen of Palmyra, mentions Dumat as a city with a fortress immune
to conquest. The fortress of Marid subsequently withstands an attack by
Rome
during the queen's revolt against the empire, although it is unclear if this
is because she has captured it.

5th century

Towards the later part of the century, Dumat becomes the capital of the
kingdom of Kindah.

633

The Islamic
empire makes one of its first territorial gains when Khalid ibn al-Walid
captures Dumat al-Jandal. Kedarite identity, if any remains by this time,
becomes totally submerged within the empire in its various forms and
successors over the subsequent fourteen centuries. In the modern age parts
of it form the kingdom of
Jordan.